Physical activity has been a common theme with Nintendo's current generation of consoles - and this holds true with 3DS. The "StreetPass" feature, where units communicate with each other as users pass on the street, was only part of Nintendo's plan to get gamers up and out of their houses with their new handhelds.

Now, we're hearing word that, built into every 3DS unit, will be an Activity Log that tracks a person's steps and rewards active users with coins. It's true, gamers no longer have to punch floating blocks for coins.

The Activity Log tracks how long gamers spend on their games and how far they walk with a built in pedometer. The unit then converts these steps into coins which the gamer can cash in to unlock in game content. At this point there's no news on which games will support the feature, but it's interesting none the less.

The last time we saw Nintendo implement a pedometer on such a large scale was with the 'Pokewalker' in Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. While the Pokewalker was dismissed as a gimmick by many, it was still a huge success. The sight of hundreds of gamers donning their Pokewalkers as badges of honor at PAX, is one this gamer won't soon forget.

Now imagine all those Pokemon fans carrying 3DS units instead and it will look like Nintendo has another runaway success. Pedometers can be sometimes tricked, however Nintendo is betting its Tag Mode will encourage everyone to carry their 3DS everywhere they go.

The Activity Log and StreetPass clearly require the 3DS to process data in sleep mode, and thus require more power to be consumed - from an already limited supply. We know that the unit can run about three to five hours during normal play, but what about standby time? Perhaps we'll get more information when the North American release date is announced.

In light of recent health warnings and news of limited supply at launch, it seems gamers are unfazed and determined to have the 3DS in their hands on day one. So we ask you this, what creative ways can Nintendo implement the StreetPass feature into games?

The 3DS is scheduled for a February release in Japan and a Spring release in North America.

Source: Nintendo Life